It's A Knockout 1979
British Domestic Series

Presenters:
Stuart Hall
Eddie Waring

Referees:
Christopher Coldrey (Championship Knockout)
Arthur Ellis
Terry Harland (Championship Knockout)
Gennaro Olivieri (Championship Knockout)
Paul Ridyard (Championship Knockout)
Mike Swann

Scoregirls:
Helene Hunt
Maria Scott
Debra Windass

Production Credits:

Stage Managers: Mike Milone, Tudor Nash-Jones, David Pickthall; Senior Cameramen: Gordon Addison, Dave Ballantyne, Ken Moir, Dave Taylor; Sound: John Drake; Engineering Managers: John Allinson, Reg Hutchings, Geoff Lomas; Production Team: Alan Walsh, Tony Williams (Championship Knockout), Alan Wright; Designer and Games Deviser: Stuart Furber; Producer's Assistant: Gill Hague; Producer: Cecil Korer; Director: Geoff Wilson

A BBC Manchester Production

Key: Domestic Heats ● = Qualified for International Series / ● = Heat Winner Championship Knockout Final ● = Radio Times Trophy Winner  ▲ = Promoted to Position / ▼ = Demoted to Position

GB

It's A Knockout 1979

Heat 1

Event Staged: Sunday 8th April 1979
Venue: Pier Approach, Bournemouth, Dorset, England

Transmission:
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Friday 11th May 1979, 7.00-8.00pm
BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 13th May 1979, 1.55-2.55pm

Teams: Bournemouth v. Arun v. South Wight

Team Members included:
Bournemouth - Pat Barker, Pippa Carson, Brian Dicken, Paul Holmes, Alan Mainstone, Francis McCaul, Colin Menzies, Derek Rees, Trevor Roberts, Hellen Walton;
Arun - Nicholas Bainbridge, Jan Barnes, Martin Eley, Mike Fairs, Sally Groom, Penny MacDougall, Geoff Tidyman, Jeremy Tribe, Nigel Waugh;
South Wight - Keith Box, Kevin Crump, Ian Dainty, Martin Hill, Tina Raynor, Robert Smith.

Games: Conk Football, Unrolling the Carpet, Trolley Push, Trampoline Shy, Shove Ha’penny, The Incline, Trolley Balance, Water Carriers and Up and Over;
Marathon: The Chefs.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd

 A • Arun ● ●
 B • Bournemouth
 SW • South Wight

26
25
20

Arun qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Ascona, Switzerland:
staged on Tuesday 29th May 1979

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

Referee Arthur Ellis made several ‘bloopers’ this year. In the first of two heats of Game 5, ‘Shove Ha’penny’, Arun clearly scored 23 points but Arthur announced 20 points. On the second run, the team scored 8 points (a total of 31 points) but he announced 28 points. This error did not affect the outcome of this heat.

Scoregirl Debra Windass was a member of the 1977 Beverley It’s A Knockout team, made an appearance as a mermaid mascot for the Bridlington and North Wolds team in the 1980 series, and returned to the role of scoregirl once again for Heat 2 of the 1981 series! An impressive It’s A Knockout career.

Additional Information

On Game 3, one of the wheels on the South Wight’s team equipment broke off and the team could not continue. South Wight was given a re-run on its own using the Bournemouth team’s trolley, and came in 3rd place on the game!

Topping the bill on the Pavilion Pier, Bournemouth, at the time of this heat’s recording were Cilla Black, The Black and White Minstrels and a sketch show featuring the cast of BBC TV’s It Ain’t Half Hot, Mum!. How people’s tastes have changed since then!

Arun and South Wight were both created under the Local Government Act 1972. Arun includes the towns of Arundel, Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, while South Wight - situated on the Isle of Wight - included the towns of Sandown, Shanklin and Ventnor, but was abolished in 1996.

If someone disputes this result and backs up their claim by showing you a photograph of the scoreboard, don't believe a word of it! After the recording had finished, spectators ran on to the arena and messed with the scoreboard, changing the result in Bournemouth's favour. This was so photographs could be taken showing Bournemouth winning! And talking about the scoreboard, after this heat when Stuart Hall placed the winning team’s name on the International venues side of the scoreboard, the Italian venue is clearly shown as Lido di Jesolo. But the following week it had changed to its updated venue of Chioggia!

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

GB

It's A Knockout 1979

Heat 2

Event Staged: Monday 16th April 1979 (Easter Monday)
Venue: Mill Meadow and the River Thames, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England

Transmission:
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Friday 18th May 1979, 7.00-8.00pm
BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 20th May 1979, 1.55-2.55pm

Teams: Henley-on-Thames v. Didcot v. Rushmoor

Team Members:
Henley-on-Thames - Colin Phillips (Team Captain), Jane Curtis, Liz Davidson (Reserve), Malcolm Eggleton, Ian George, Kevin Green, John Jones, Sîan Jones, Peter Lilley, Sue Lyons, Chris Long, Nick Newbury, Roger Porter (Reserve), Glynis Pruckner, Moyra Stevenson, Richard Sweetman, Jim Thatcher (Reserve), John Thatcher, Richard Thatcher;
Didcot - Ken Pottle (Non-Playing Team Captain), Jo Merrifield (Women's Team Captain), Terry Bradshaw (Team Coach), Bruce Charles, Helen Cox, Trevor Davies, Paul Duffy, Pete Duffy, Melvin Evans, Nigel Gilder, Caron Groves, David Hall, Lesley Hansell, Myre Hayden, Barry King, Teresa Knox, Malcolm Lumb, David Mason, Barry Metcalf, Carole Miller, Martin Neave, Robert Paterson, Wally Prior, Jo Rapidoe, Vivienne Rees-Davies, Uen Segesby, Duncan Talbot;
Rushmoor - Barrie Arlington (Team Manager / Men's Team Captain), Beverley Redman (Women's Team Captain), Paul Applegate, Graham Bobin, Sharon Cazaly, John Coe, Carol Dimsdale, Janice Farry, Nick Gahagan, Eirwen Gould, John Harrap, Alan Hunt, Steve Kelly, Allan Leiper, Terry Murray, Jan Oliver, Alec Reed, Michael Williams.

Games: Conkgate, Roll out the Barrels, Ladder Obstacle Course, Balloon Stretch, Motorcycle Football, Trampoline Basketball, Hoop-la, Water Jump and Up and Over;
Marathon: Kick & Duck.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd

 H • Henley-on-Thames ● ●
 D • Didcot
 R • Rushmoor

29
25
20

Henley-on-Thames qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Saint-Gaudens, France:
staged on Wednesday 13th June 1979

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

Having already blotted his copybook a little in Heat 1, referee Arthur Ellis made a second consecutive ‘blooper’ on Game 3. The game involved teams rolling a foam barrel down the course. Atop each barrel was a girl, who had to stay on top as it rolled, keeping her balance. At the end of the outward run, the teams had to cross a line and then make the return journey. Henley-on-Thames were penalised on the outward run of this game, because their girl came off the barrel before crossing the line and was sent back a few feet to complete the run. However, whilst Arthur Ellis was distracted by this, the Didcot competitors could be clearly seen doing the same. They were not penalised and went on to win the game. Although in this particular case, it fortunately didn't make much difference to the result at the end of the contest, refereeing errors like this could have produced wildly different results.

Returning Teams and Competitors

Henley-on-Thames team member David Mason had previously represented Cambridge in IAK 1975.

Additional Information

One of the games in this heat (Game 8) was actually played on the River Thames, and Game 5 was played out on petrol-fuelled motor-scooters.

The last game, which was the same game throughout the series, was changed from this heat onwards. In Heat 1, the teams had to ascend the dirigible to collect balls from the girls after they had climbed the net, whereas in this heat and onwards the teams climbed the nets and brought the balls over with them and descended the dirigible.

Rushmoor was created under the Local Government Act 1972 and includes the towns of Aldershot and Farnborough.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

GB

It's A Knockout 1979

Heat 3

Event Staged: Sunday 29th April 1979
Venue: Great Yarmouth F.C. Stadium (Wellesley Recreation Ground), Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England

Transmission:
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Friday 25th May 1979, 7.00-8.00pm
BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 27th May 1979, 1.55-2.55pm

Teams: Great Yarmouth v. North Walsham v. Norwich

Team Members included:
Great Yarmouth - Dawn Branch, Kevin Denmark, Carol Layden, Donald McDonnock, Martin Moss;
North Walsham - Dick Stannard (Team Captain), K. Michael Harre (Non-playing Co-Team Captain), Henry Batchelor, Judy Beck, Martin Bridgland, Paul ‘Grisley’ Brown, Jayne Drake, Malcolm Ellis, Elaine Field, Ivor Field, Mark Finch, Keith Frazer, Geoff Guttridge, Dave Hannah, Margaret Hannant, Jeremy Holmes, Sally Monsey, Glenda Neale, Sheilah Olley, Michael (Anthony) Perry, Ashley Sampson, Roderick Smith, David Wrightson, Elizabeth Wrightson;
Norwich - Michael Barratt, William Black. Linda Clemence, Steven Dudley, Hazel Hall, Trevor Richardson.

Games (Official Titles): Drum Roll, Up the Pole, The Conks, Board Balance, Disc Walk, Box Building, "The Cookies", Balloon Burst and Up and Over;
Marathon: Conveyer Belt Football.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd

 NW • North Walsham ● ●
 N • Norwich
 GY • Great Yarmouth

27
23
21

North Walsham qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Donji Milanovac, Yugoslavia:
staged on Wednesday 27th June 1979

The Host Town

Great Yarmouth, Norfolk

Great Yarmouth is a coastal town located in the county of Norfolk on a thin spit of land sandwiched between the North Sea and the River Yare, 20 miles (32km) east of Norwich and 13km north of Lowestoft, the most easterly point of Great Britain. Known to locals simply as Yarmouth, It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the North Sea. For hundreds of years it was a major fishing port, depending mainly on the herring fishery, but its fishing industry suffered a steep decline in the second half of the 20th century, and has now all but disappeared.

In 1208, King John (1166-1216) granted a charter to Great Yarmouth which gave his burgesses of Yarmouth general liberties according to the customs of Oxford, amplified by several later charters asserting the rights of the borough against Little Yarmouth and Gorleston. In 1552, Edward VI (1537-1553) granted a charter of admiralty jurisdiction, later confirmed and extended by James I (1566-1625). In 1668, Charles II (1630-1685) incorporated Little Yarmouth in the borough by a charter which with one brief exception remained in force until 1703, when Queen Anne (1665-1714) replaced the two bailiffs with a mayor.

The town has borne witness to several disasters over the centuries being the site of a bridge disaster and drowning tragedy on 2nd May 1845, when a suspension bridge crowded with children collapsed under the weight killing 79. They had gathered to watch a clown in a barrel being pulled by geese down the river. As he passed under the bridge the weight shifted, causing the chains on the south side to snap, tipping over the bridge deck. During World War I (1914-1918), Great Yarmouth suffered the first aerial bombardment in the United Kingdom, by Zeppelin L3 on 19th January 1915 and was also bombarded by the German Navy on 24th April 1916. The town suffered Luftwaffe bombing during World War II (1939-1945) as it was the last significant place on which German bombers could drop bombs before returning home.

On the night of Saturday 31st January and morning of Sunday 1st February 1953, the town was badly affected by the North Sea flood, a combination of a high spring tide and a severe European windstorm, which led to a water level of more than 18ft 4in (5.6m) above mean sea level. More recent flooding has also been a problem, with the town flooding four times in 2006. In September 2006, the town suffered its worst flooding in 50 years. Torrential rain caused drains to block as well as an Anglian Water pumping station to break down and this resulted in flash flooding around the town in which 90 properties were flooded up to 5ft (1.5m). On 9th November 2007, the town braced itself for more flooding as a result of a tidal surge and high tides but disaster was avoided and only a small area was under water.

The market place at Great Yarmouth is one of the largest in England, and has been operating since the 13th century. The Tollhouse, with dungeons, dates from the late 13th century and is said to be the oldest civic building in Britain. The town had its own electric tramway system between 1902 and 1933.

Great Yarmouth has two piers, Britannia Pier (which is Grade II listed) and Wellington Pier. The theatre building on the latter of the two was demolished in 2005 and reopened in 2008 as a family entertainment centre with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the beach. Britannia Pier is home to the Britannia Theatre and is one of a few end-of-the-pier theatres left in England.

The main local football club is Great Yarmouth Town, also known as the Bloaters, who play in the Eastern Counties League. Currently managed by Mike Derbyshire, their ground is at Wellesley Recreation Ground which played host to this It's A Knockout programme.

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

Throughout the show, Stuart Hall wore a 1900s all-in-one bathing costume, Wellington boots and a false moustache, despite the fact that the normally sunny resort was overcast with rain falling throughout the recording and the crowd were all hiding under umbrellas!

Additional Information

Due to the inclement rainy weather, team members on Game 2 were allowed to wear household rubber gloves to assist their grip during their climb up the metal poles.

The North Walsham team trained at a school in their area (believed to be Paston Grammar School) and were assisted in that training by Dave Hannah, a physical training instructor from nearby RAF Coltishall. Four members of the North Walsham team were at the time serving in the RAF at Coltishall, including Malcolm Ellis and Ivor Fields. The Team Captain role at this event, the Knockout Championship and in the International Heat at Donji Milanovac, Yugoslavia, appears to have been shared by Dick Stannard, PE teacher at Paston Grammar School, and K. Michael Harre, the school's Headmaster, who was not an actual participant in the events.

Some of the Dudley team (who would be competing in Heat 5) attended this event to get a feel for the competition and to see the standards of the teams competing. They can be seen in the watching crowd throughout the programme. They played - and won - their heat two weeks later on Sunday 13th May 1979.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

GB

It's A Knockout 1979

Heat 4

Event Staged: Sunday 6th May 1979
Venue: Archbishop's Park, Lambeth, London, England

Transmission:
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Friday 1st June 1979, 7.00-8.00pm
BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 3rd June 1979, 3.35-4.35pm

Teams: Lambeth v. Hounslow v. Kingston-upon-Thames

Team Members included:
Lambeth - Mark Andrews, Eddie Burns, Hazel Carter, Graham Fullen, Kim Mawle, Wilf Smith, Owe Williams;
Hounslow - Maxine Kierey, Colin Knight, Gayle McCulloch, Christine Nelson, Warren Wilkinson;
Kingston-upon-Thames - Malcolm Chamberlain, Barry Clarke, Oliver Day, Alison Hurd, Brian Kane, Carole Rice, Steve Sands, Andy Stewart, Paul Whiting, Anne Wilkinson, David Wright.

Games: Conk Rings, Quad-Drums, Boots ‘n’ Balls, Caught in the Net, Bobbin Along, On Your Stilts, Board Roll, Drum Stack and Up and Over;
Marathon: Water Jump.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd

 K • Kingston-upon-Thames ● ●
 L • Lambeth
 H • Hounslow

27
26
22

Kingston-upon-Thames qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Bruxelles/Brussel, Belgium:
staged on Wednesday 25th July 1979

Additional Information

The opening shot of this heat was a close-up of Big Ben’s clock showing 4.25pm, dubbed with the sound of a cuckoo chiming the hour, and the closing shot showed the time of 6.35pm.

After opening the show with the now familiar call of ‘Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!’, the Lambeth Town Crier was later called upon by Stuart Hall and stated that It’s A Knockout could not visit Lambeth without hearing some Cockney rhyming slang. He obliged without hesitation by saying ‘I go for a ‘ball of chalk’ down the ‘frog and toad’, round the ‘Johnny Horner’ to the ‘rub-a-dub’ for a pint of ‘pig’s ear’. Pick up the ‘Eau de Cologne’, have a ‘bull and cow’ with the ‘trouble and strife’, walk up the ‘apple and pears’, take off the ‘tat-for-tat’, the ‘Peckham Rye’, the ‘Oliver Hardy’, then the ‘Dickie Dirt’, and the ‘round the houses’, the ‘almond rocks’ and the ‘daisy roots’. Jump on the ‘Uncle Ned’, lay down the ‘loaf of bread’ on the ‘weeping willow’, close your ‘mince pies’ and go to ‘Bo-Peep’. Wake up in the morning, put a comb through the ‘Barnet Fair’, have a ‘bang in the Bostik’, ‘dig a grave’ and go to work. (Translated as ‘I go for a walk down the road, around the corner to the pub for a pint of beer. Pick up the phone, have a row with the wife, walk up the stairs, take off the hat, the tie, the cardigan, then the shirt and the trousers, the socks and the boots. Jump on the bed, lay down the head on the pillow, close your eyes and go to sleep. Wake up in the morning, put a comb through the hair, go to the loo, have a shave and go to work’). So now you know!

Hounslow played their Joker on one of the riskiest games ever, which was dependent upon the opposing team’s failure to hit a 3ft diameter beach ball. The game involved team members, wearing cranked boots, holding aloft a large tray which housed the ball. They had to walk across the course, avoid an attack from flour bags and try to keep the ball intact until they reached the safe area on the opposite side. Hounslow went first but failed to score, but luck was on their side when Kingston-upon-Thames failed to do so as well. It looked like a very safe six points in the bag as it seemed Lambeth would not score either. However, just three seconds before the limit time, Lambeth successfully achieved their goal and got one ball across.

Although Kingston-upon-Thames won the fourth heat in the Domestic series, they went on to compete in the fifth International heat in Brussels. There were two reasons for this. Firstly, as was the norm, British commentator Eddie Waring was on duty at the Rugby League Challenge Cup Final at Wembley on Saturday 5th May 1979 and at the age of 69, the BBC limited the amount of travelling he had to do. As he was in London for the Rugby Final, it was therefore more convenient to stage the fourth Heat at Archbishop’s Park in Lambeth and not as planned, the fifth heat. Interestingly, this was the reason that since 1976 an It’s A Knockout Domestic heat was always held in the London area to accommodate Eddie’s commentary at the Challenge Cup Final the previous day. The other reason that Kingston-upon-Thames did not compete in the fourth International Heat in Italy was that the Belgian broadcaster RTBF had requested that all countries send teams from their capital cities for their International Heat in Brussels. This was the first and only time that this occurred.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

GB

It's A Knockout 1979

Heat 5

Event Staged: Sunday 13th May 1979
Venue: Dudley Castle Park, Dudley, Birmingham, West Midlands, England

Transmission:
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Friday 8th June 1979, 7.00-8.00pm
BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 10th June 1979, 3.40-4.40pm

Teams: Dudley v. Bridgnorth v. Worcester

Team Members included:
Dudley - Steven Davies, Paul Dodge, Bob Dunphy, Kelvin Hughes, Ray Keighley, Colin Leaper, Roy Muller, Vivienne Taylor (Women's Team Captain), Michelle Welch, Linda Wiltshire;
Bridgnorth - Mike Burnell (Team Manager), David Batty (Team Coach), Richard Applegate, Peter Arch, Maureen Brown, Susan Clegg, Steve Francis, John King, Christine Matthews, Ian Pennington, Andrew Pottinger, Bob Renke, Dave Rymer, Lynette Thompson, Sheila Thompson, Mark Unitt, Henry Watkins;
Worcester - Richard Applegate, Jean Cowley, Jackie Stiles, Gwyneth Thompson, John Weston, Mark Wootton.

Games: Conks' Obstacle Race, Up the Pole, Pool Blocks, Stepping Stones, Sheriffs of Nottingham, Boxing Bounce, Weighing the Water, Rollerball Relay and Up and Over;
Marathon: Chefs on the Move.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd

 D • Dudley ● ●
 B • Bridgnorth
 W • Worcester

25
24
23

Dudley qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Chioggia, Italy:
staged on Wednesday 11th July 1979

Team Selection and Training

Selection trials for the Bridgnorth squad were held at Bridgnorth Leisure Centre in February 1979, overseen by the team's manager, Mike Burnell. The volunteers who were successful on that occasion team then embarked upon a training programme which comprised three evening sessions a week for a period of three months leading up to the recording on 13th May. The organisers also involved themselves in fundraising events, managing to raise £900 to pay for the competition, half of which was donated to the Bridgnorth Community Chest for charity.

One competitor, Ron Lendrum, earmarked to compete for the team in the 'Rollerball Relay' roller skating game, was injured in a 17ft fall prior to the event and was unable to take part in the final programme.

Likewise - but to a far greater degree - the Dudley team also suffered injuries in the lead-in to this event, with ten members of their 30-strong squad being declared unfit less than a fortnight before the big day. On 1st May 1979, local newspaper the Express and Star listed those affected, along with their injuries: Judy Hinton (stress fracture), Delia Baker (ankle), Steve Davies (ankle), Keith Durn (wrist), Chris Elcock (wrist / elbow), Jim Brown (thigh), Nina Bastable (thigh), Mark Johnson (back) and Oscar Higley (shoulder).

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

At the heat in Great Yarmouth (Heat 3), Stuart Hall was presented with a giant stick of rock by the Great Yarmouth team. Unfortunately, he forgot to take it away with him, and consequently, it was re-presented to him by a member of the Dudley team, who had been present at that heat.

Looks Familiar?

The Sheriff of Nottingham costumes used on Game 5 were previously used at the British International heat held at Scampton (Lincoln) during the 1978 series.

Additional Information

Animals from Dudley Zoo - Boris the Boa Constrictor, Flanagan the Water Monitor, Bubba the European Eagle Owl, Lent the Llama, Ben the Bennett’s Wallaby and Roberta the Pelican - all made special appearances in between games at this event.

This Domestic Heat had the closest and most exciting finish of all the heats this year. With the scores standing at Brignorth 21, Dudley 23 and Worcester 22 before the last game, all three teams had the opportunity to win this heat. It could even have finished in a three-way tie, something which never occurred in the history of It's A Knockout.

Despite losing out on a spot in the International Series of Jeux Sans Frontières by a single point, Bridgnorth's It's A Knockout journey was not quite over as they received an invitation from their French twin town Thiers to take part there in an unofficial head-to-head competition. The Bridgnorth team accepted and spent ten days in Thiers in July 1973 – and this time they ended up victorious. The contest ended with Bridgnorth beating Thiers by 80 points to 63 and returning with a special trophy presented by the town council of Theirs.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

GB

It's A Knockout 1979

Heat 6

Event Staged: Sunday 20th May 1979
Venue: King William's College, Castletown, Isle of Man

Transmission:
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Friday 15th June 1979, 7.00-8.00pm
BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 17th June 1979, 1.55-2.55pm

Teams: Castletown v. Douglas v. Ramsey

Team Members included:
Castletown - Paul Baker, Katherine Evans, Billy Jones, Patricia Kirkham, Ronnie McCulloch, Michael Pickard, Susan Quirke, David Sale, Heather Staley, Michael Staley;
Douglas - Dave Anderson, Derek Christian, William Christian, Irene Collette, Caroline Cumbrey, Ian Forrest, Brian Kane, David Kane, Tina Kelly, Brian Lees, Karen Lees, Pip Penrode, Peter Quayle, Sheila Quayle, Frank Towning, Chris Wossley;
Ramsey - Gayle Corin, Jayne Crellin, Bobby Gains, Juan Gele, Bobby James, Timothy Jones, Jane Franklin, Jeremy Moffatt, John Orr, Kevin Quinn, Tommy Quinn, Peter Smith, Martin Webb.

Games: Bobbin Roll, Pool Netball, Dice Roll, Battle of the Conks, Seesaw Spears, Rope Swing Bridge, Greasy Ramp, Building the Stockades and Up and Over;
Marathon: Penalty Shoot-Out.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd

 D • Douglas ● ●
 C • Castletown
 R • Ramsey

30
21
20

Douglas qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Bonn, West Germany:
staged on Wednesday 8th August 1979

Returning Teams and Competitors

Douglas team member Peter Quayle had participated four years earlier in It’s A Knockout for the successful Onchan team.

Additional Information

Joining Stuart Hall and the It’s A Knockout team in the arena throughout the programme were an assortment of people and animals. Amongst them were members of the King William’s College Boys’ School Choir, Lucky (a black Manx tailless cat) and Pearl (a grey shire horse) which famously pulled H.M. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip in a Douglas tram along the promenade, when they went to the island for a Royal visit in 1972.

Even before the last heat of the Marathon, Douglas were leading by 5 points overall, and guaranteed 4 points from the Marathon, the team had already won the contest. Nevertheless, the team won the Marathon and also went on to win the final game, winning the contest by 9 points over their nearest rival.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

GB

It's A Knockout 1979

Heat 7

Event Staged: Sunday 17th June 1979
Venue: Goshen Playing Fields, Bury, Greater Manchester, England

Transmission:
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Friday 22nd June 1979, 7.00-8.00pm
BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 24th June 1979, 1.55-2.55pm

Teams: Bury v. Blackburn v. Salford

Team Members included:
Bury - John Denham (Team Captain), Sheila Antrobus, Dave Barber, Mark Barlow, Barbara Coley, Nigel Coley, Carol Driver, Nadia Duda, Jack Edgar, Tony Edwards, Trevor Lewis, Richard Llewellyn, Janice Mitchell, Anne Monks, Nigel Rowley;
Blackburn - Arthur Brindell, David Cooper, Diane Knowle, Margaret Moon, Mark Reid, Douglas Smith, Roy Stanicliffe, Martin Waite, Gregory Yeats;
Salford - Michael Bent, Paul Bridge, Andrew Brunt, Juliet Chapman, Les Gore, Amanda Johnson, David Mason, Gillian Norrie, Sheena McPherson, Bill Smith and Michael Thomas.

Games: Trifle Chefs, Ski Slalom, Slope Build, Podium Balance Build, Conk Balloon Battle, Unfolding Ladder Lift, Balloon Trapeze, Pouffé Roll, Suction Climb and Up and Over;
Marathon: Elastic Bounce.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd

 BU • Bury ● ●
 BL • Blackburn
 S • Salford

30
27
22

Bury qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières in Cascais, Portugal:
staged on Wednesday 5th September 1979

St. Albans qualified as hosts of Jeux Sans Frontières in St. Albans, Great Britain:
staged on Tuesday 21st August 1979

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

On Game 7, after Bury and Blackburn had finished the game, presenter Stuart Hall assisted two of the girls from Salford through the elasticated trapeze with their balloons. Referee Arthur Ellis severely castigated him for doing so, by telling him “You are here to commentate, not to assist the teams and you are not to do it again, and I mean it seriously!” It was also on this game that referee Arthur Ellis failed to observe foul play by one of the female members of the Salford team. Whilst negotiating the elasticated trapeze, it was possible that some of the large balloons burst by the tautness of the equipment. However, it can clearly been seen that the first Salford girl member to enter the trapeze bends down and deliberately bursts one of the Blackburn team’s balloons with her hand. Although this meant that Blackburn finished second on the game (Bury 24 balloons, Blackburn 23 balloons and Salford 19 balloons), fortunately it did not affect the overall outcome of the contest!

Two ‘bloopers’ were made in this heat. The first was by Eddie Waring, when before the start of the last heat of the Marathon, he inadvertently called it the last heat of the Fil Rouge! The second ‘blooper’ was made by Stuart Hall before the start of the final game. With the scores standing at Bury 28, Blackburn 24 and Salford 21, he told the crowd “It is not over yet, it could still end in a draw”. It was 42 seconds before he rectified his mistake!

Returning Teams and Competitors

DMany of the competitors in the Bury team had previously been members of the 1977 Oldham team, which participated in Evry, France.

Additional Information

This heat saw one of the biggest and most enthusiastic crowds ever in It’s A Knockout history, producing a truly electrifying atmosphere. It opened with the two presenters and the referees dressed in 1900s-era police uniforms to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the formation of the modern-day British police force by Sir Robert Peel, who was born in Bury.

The reason for the unusually high scoring in this heat was because there were eleven games instead of the normal ten. This happened because some of the games were designed to have short running times. The extra game was added to enable the timing to be right for the BBC’s transmission slot.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

GB

It's A Championship Knockout 1979

Domestic Final

Event Staged: Sunday 15th July 1979
Venue: Arena North, Park Hall, Charnock Richard, Lancashire, England

Transmission:
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Tuesday 4th September 1979, 7.15-8.30pm
BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 16th September 1979, 1.50-3.05pm

Theme: Domestic Re-Run

Teams: Arun v. Bury v. Douglas v. Dudley v. Henley-on-Thames v.
Kingston-upon-Thames v. North Walsham v. St. Albans

Team Members included:
Arun - Nicholas Bainbridge, Jan Barnes, Martin Eley, Mike Fairs, Sally Groom, Penny MacDougall, Geoff Tidyman, Jeremy Tribe, Nigel Waugh;
Bury - Tony Edwards (Team Captain), Sheila Antrobus, Dave Barber, Mark Barlow, Barbara Coley, Nigel Coley, John Denham, Carol Driver, Nadia Duda, Jack Edgar, Trevor Lewis, Richard Llewellyn, Janice Mitchell, Anne Monks, Nigel Rowley;
Douglas - Dave Anderson, Derek Christian, William Christian, Irene Collette, Caroline Cumbrey, Ian Forrest, Brian Kane, David Kane, Tina Kelly, Brian Lees, Karen Lees, Pip Penrode, Peter Quayle, Sheila Quayle, Frank Towning, Chris Wossley;
Dudley - Steven Davies, Paul Dodge, Bob Dunphy, Kelvin Hughes, Ray Keighley, Colin Leaper, Roy Muller, Vivienne Taylor (Women's Team Captain), Michelle Welch, Linda Wiltshire;
Henley-on-Thames - Colin Phillips (Team Captain), Jane Curtis, Liz Davidson (Reserve), Malcolm Eggleton, Ian George, Kevin Green, John Jones, Sîan Jones, Peter Lilley, Sue Lyons, Chris Long, Nick Newbury, Roger Porter (Reserve), Glynis Pruckner, Moyra Stevenson, Richard Sweetman, Jim Thatcher (Reserve), John Thatcher, Richard Thatcher;
North Walsham - Dick Stannard (Co-Team Captain), K. Michael Harre (Non-playing Co-Team Captain), Henry Bachelor, Paul ‘Grisley’ Brown, Malcolm Ellis, Elaine Field, Ivor Fields, Keith Fraser, Geoff Gutteridge, Sheila Olive, Roderick Smith, Elizabeth Wrighton;
Kingston-upon-Thames - Malcolm Chamberlain, Barry Clarke, Oliver Day, Alison Hurd, Brian Kane, Carole Rice, Steve Sands, Andy Stewart, Paul Whiting, Anne Wilkinson, David Wright;
St. Albans (Full Squad) - Tony Smith (Team Captain), Sue Boardman, Steve Booty, Jonathan Cox, Steve Gates, Placid Gonzales, Caroline Livsey, Judith Mair, Steve Mizsei, Judi Nardi, Ian Norfield, John O'Kane, John Wilson, Melanie Wilson; Other Squad Members: Cathy Bodsworth, Yogi Bohknecht, Hilary Bridger, Patricia Bridges, Mick Dobner (Assistant Coach), Mark Edmunds, Ian Farrow, John Goulds, Geraldine Gray, Carole Kelsall, Kevin Pickering, Tony Russell, Andy Scott, Lloyd Simpson, Andrew Tominey, Bill Whittlesea, Lulu Whittlesea, Judith Young.

Games: Horseback Riding, Pouffé Roll, Pool Netball, Rope Swing Bridge, Sheriffs of Nottingham, Ski Race, Up and Over and Conks;
Marathon: Scaling the Wall.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th
8th

 DO • Douglas ● ●
 STA • St. Albans
 B • Bury

 K • Kingston-upon-Thames

 DU • Dudley

 A • Arun

 W • North Walsham
 H • Henley-on-Thames

52
45
44

38

34

31
30
24

Returning Teams and Competitors

Tony Smith ran and captained the St. Albans side this year as he had in 1977, when he also ran the BBC Demo Team for the Jeux Sans Frontières event at Windsor. Tony also played for Stevenage in 1978 and assisted the Hertsmere and Welwyn Garden teams in, respectively, the 1980 and 1981 seasons. Tony's long association with the series would hit new heights in 1999 when he was employed by Ronin Entertainment as Course Referee on the Channel 5 It's A Knockout in 1999 and 2000.

Additional Information

There were only two occasions where teams from the Isle of Man competed in It's A Knockout and in both of these instances, the Isle of Man teams ended the domestic season as winners of the Radio Times Trophy. Onchan were awarded the trophy by virtue of their having the highest points score in the domestic heats in 1975, and Douglas won the trophy here at The Knockout Championship 1979.

The Bury team captain was changed after the Domestic heat from John Denham to Knockout stalwart Tony Edwards.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

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